Est. 2022
Sophia Theodossiou, Ph.D.
sophiatheodossiou@boisestate.edu
Sophia was raised in Athens, Greece, and was fascinated from an early age by how living things work. She completed her BA in Human Biology and Anthropology at Northwestern University in 2012. Following a series of odd jobs (taxi driver, IHOP server, a 3 year stint in the outdoor industry, EMT), she returned to graduate school and completed her PhD in Biological Engineering at the University of Idaho, graduating in the totally normal, not at all unprecedented year of 2020. Sophia spent 2020-2022 in Boston as an NIH IRACDA Postdoctoral Scholar at Tufts University, and a T32 Organ Design and Engineering Training Program Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In August 2022, she returned to the great state of Idaho as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at Boise State University, and founded the Biomaterials and Musculoskeletal Engineering Lab, or BMEL (“BEE-mehl”). Research in BMEL seeks to understand how mechanical and biochemical signals guide musculoskeletal tissue formation during normal development, with the goal of using developmentally-inspired cues to regenerate these tissues following injury or disease. When not happily engaged in research, mentoring, teaching, or grant writing, you’ll find Sophia (and usually one or more of her dogs) mountain biking, trail running, backcountry or downhill skiing, backpacking, camping, cooking, traveling, reading, unsuccessfully gardening, teaching wilderness medicine courses, volunteering for search & rescue, and sailing between uninhabited islands in her beloved Aegean sea.
Brian Penney
Brian was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Brian graduated from the University of Idaho in 2022 with his Bachelor’s of Science in Biological Engineering. His undergraduate research focused on biochemical injury factors in tendon. He began his Biomedical Engineering Doctorate in BMEL at BSU in the Fall of 2022. Brian’s research focuses on better understanding the early stages of Osteoarthritis pathogenesis in regards to mechanical alterations in the affected cartilage using models comprised of chondrocytes, macrophages and dynamically stiffening silk scaffolds. He also is using silk microneedle patches for drug delivery with cargo like antifreeze proteins for frostbite treatment and genetically engineered probiotics for neurotransmitter production or inhibition. Outside of research, Brian is an avid rock climber and biker.
Calvin Jones
Calvin was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. In 2021, Calvin graduated from Texas A&M University (WHOOP!) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Engineering. After graduation, Calvin worked as a research assistant for a spinal cord injury lab at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Calvin joined BMEL in the fall of 2022 and began his doctorate in Biomedical Engineering at Boise State University. Calvin’s research focuses on understanding the nanomechanical properties of novel biomaterials. Furthermore, Calvin seeks to better understand how those properties can be modulated to selectively direct the differentiation of cells in aims to improve regenerative therapies of complex musculoskeletal tissues. In his free time, Calvin enjoys watching sports, spending time with friends and family, and exploring the outdoors.